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TORONTO - Andre Agassi rallied to beat Tommy Haas 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in an entertaining opening round match at the Masters Canada tournament on Monday.

The key point came in the third set when Haas double faulted to give Agassi a break and 5-4 lead, allowing him to serve out the match.

"I felt like I stepped up in that game and put myself in a good position," Agassi said. "It was pretty special out there and felt like I was playing in a final instead of a first-round match, which is a testament to the stadium, the intimacy of it and the crowd."

The match was played before a crowd of 10,500 at the new Rexall Centre.

ACURA CLASSIC: Ashley Harkleroad scored one of the biggest victories of her career, beating 13th-seeded Patty Schnyder 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 Monday in the opening round of the Acura Classic at Carlsbad, Calif.

Harkleroad, ranked 109th in the world, came from behind in the third set to win the final two games and surprise Schnyder.

The tourney features seven of the top 10 players in the world, including Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova.

Golf

TIGER EYES JACK: Tiger Woods, who is winless in his last nine major tournaments, said he remains confident of breaking Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 Grand Slam golf titles.

"I'm still ahead of his pace," Woods told reporters at a press conference in Ireland, where he'll defend his American Express Championship in September. "You know it wasn't going to happen overnight. It's going to take a long time."

With eight major titles, the 28-year-old Woods is two years ahead of Nicklaus' pace. Nicklaus won his eighth Grand Slam event at 30, snapping a streak of 11 majors without a victory.

"Hopefully I'll be able to play at a high enough level for a long period," said Woods, who will try to snap his Grand Slam winless streak at next month's PGA Championship in Wisconsin.

Auto Racing

NEW YORK TRACK: International Speedway Corp., the largest operator of racetracks in the U.S., said it agreed to buy 676 acres on Staten Island for a long-sought NASCAR track in the New York City area. The company said it signed contracts to purchase two adjacent tracts near the Goethals Bridge, which connects the New York City borough to New Jersey, and will build an 80,000-seat, 3/4-mile raceway by about 2009.

Horse racing

SMARTY SCRATCHED: Smarty Jones has a bruised left front hoof and will not run in the Pennsylvania Derby, missing a chance to race in front of a hometown crowd at Philadelphia Park.

Roy Chapman, who owns the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, said Monday that Smarty Jones' injury is not serious, and he should resume training shortly.

College football

KENTUCKY: Two football players have been suspended for their arrests in separate incidents, coach Rich Brooks said Monday.

Ricky Abren, a redshirt freshman nose tackle from Hopkinsville, and Ryan Schumm, a walk-on redshirt freshman linebacker from Crestwood, won't play in any games, pending the outcome of court cases, Brooks said.

Elsewhere

AMERICA'S CUP: America's Cup champion Team Alinghi fired skipper Russell Coutts on Monday. Team officials said Coutts was fired for "repeated violations of his duties."

MELLANBY A THRASHER: Atlanta signed 19-year veteran Scott Mellanby, adding experience to a talented front line that already includes Ilya Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley.

Mellanby, 38, spent the last two years with the St. Louis Blues, getting 14 goals and 17 assists last season.

Roller Hockey: 3 more divisions crown champions

Three more division titlists were decided Monday at the North American Roller Hockey Championships (NARCh) at Sports Plus in Evendale.

In the NARCh Cub final, the Nike OC Blades (Calif.) were upset by Tour Bordercats '97, 7-6. In the Atom Platinum final, the Nike OC Blades (Calif.) defeated Tour Smoke from New York, 6-4. In the Squirt Platinum final, Anaheim Mission Bulldogs Blue squeezed by York Mission Triumph (Ontario), 4-3 in overtime.

In the Mite Platinum division playoffs, Cincinnati's Skatetown Swords fell to the Orlando Outlaws of Florida, 4-1 and to Team Mission Detroit '94, 8-6.

Today's Schedule

The Midget Division All-Star game will be held, along with the finals in the Midget Platinum division and quarterfinals in Pee Wee Platinum and Mite Platinum.

The North American Roller Hockey Championships (NARCh) continue through July 31 at Sports Plus in Evendale. NARCh competition is free and open to the public. For complete daily results, log onto www.narch.com.